


May 1761: Arrival

by schwertlilie



Series: White Flags [5]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-11
Updated: 2012-02-11
Packaged: 2017-10-30 22:48:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/337041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/schwertlilie/pseuds/schwertlilie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Matthieu arrives in London (where the British government holds all of the captured colonies), Arthur tries to be welcoming while Matthieu is grumpy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	May 1761: Arrival

_May 1761 :: London, England_

The ship glided up the Thames, giving Matthieu a good, long look at London - the docks swarming with workers, smoke rising from thousands of chimneys, the smell of sewage in the water.

He hadn't been here an hour, but Matthieu already hated it all.

He could see Arthur from the deck, his red coat bright among the homespun of the dock hands. There was a curricle waiting behind, one of the bay carriage horses prodding the cobblestone with its hoof. Not even the horses wanted to be there.

Matthieu let himself be bundled into the rowboat with his small chest, sandwiched between two of the midshipmen for the short trip to the pier. He didn't expect _Arthur_ to give him a hand up, but there he was, helping him balance on the rope ladder. When Matthieu had two feet planted on the wood of the pier, Arthur dusted his hands off, smiled.

"Welcome to Great Britain, Matthew."

"Matthieu."

"I beg your pardon?" 

"Mon nom-" English, he had to speak _English_ here. "My name is Matthieu."

"Well, at least the frog gave you something of an education. No matter, we'll work on that as well. If you'll follow me?"

He didn't want to, but it wasn't as if he had a choice. He let Arthur lead him back to the curricle as the crew loaded his chest onto the back, and lift him into the passenger seat. Arthur gave them a few coins, then hopped into the curricle and picked up the reins; a light flick on their sides set the horses moving. 

Arthur drove with a light touch, neatly moving them around the slower carts and carriages. The curricle was so smooth that Matthieu could almost pretend that he was back home among his fir trees, looking up at the blue sky, his bear next to him-

"Matthew-"

Matthieu blinked, jerked out of his memories. "Matthieu."

" _Matthieu_. I asked you a question." 

"I want to go home," he mumbled to his hands.

"Oh." Arthur glanced over, away. "Surely you've been to Europe before?"

"Once." He hesitated, but Arthur didn't interrupt. "I'd finally begun making money for the Crown, so Francis presented me to King Louis."

He turned the horses round a corner, toward the centre of the city. "Did you like Paris?"

"No. Francis sent me back on the first ship that could take me across the Atlantic."

"I see." He was silent for a while, and Matthieu was glad for it. "I'm sorry, lad. I can't send you back, not until a peace treaty is signed. But it shan't be horrible - I'll have the best governesses brought in, and you'll have company. Île Royale and Guadeloupe are already here, and Nova Scotia will visit next spring. You'll be treated the same way as any of my own colonies." 

Matthieu pulled his coat close, and didn't reply.


End file.
